Ghibli’s famous BGM. Recommended masterpieces and popular tracks for work and study BGM.
From among the many BGMs that color Studio Ghibli’s works, we present masterful and popular songs recommended by the studio staff.
It’s a moving playlist brimming with dreams and hope.
Ghibli’s iconic BGM: Recommended masterpieces and popular tracks for work and studying (1–10)
Good morning, Ghibli Piano MedleyNEW!
With its refreshing piano sound perfectly mixed with the cheerful chirping of birds at just the right moments, “Good Morning Ghibli” feels like the ideal soundtrack to start a pleasant day.
Featuring numbers like “A Sunny Day” and “A Town with an Ocean View” from Kiki’s Delivery Service, and “Bird Person” from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the collection conjures images of wide-open blue skies and is sure to lift your spirits.
As you listen, the music’s soft yet resonant beauty brings each film’s heroine to mind and seems capable of blowing away even the muggiest mood!
Ghibli rain to listen to when you're tiredNEW!
Why not soothe your heart with “Ghibli Rain to Listen to When You’re Tired,” performed by pianist Kou Miura, who turns feelings into sound? The set features six pieces, including “One Summer’s Day,” “Merry-Go-Round of Life,” “Carrying You,” and “The Path of the Wind.” Each track has a gentle timbre, offering a relaxation effect like listening to the sound of rain.
It’s a perfect Ghibli medley for quiet moments at home or when you want to drift into a comfortable sleep.
It also works well as unobtrusive background music, making it an ideal companion for reading.
Ghibli Piano MedleyNEW!
Why is it that the quiet chirping of insects on a summer night is so soothing? This “Summer Night Piano Medley: Good Night, Ghibli” pairs gently warming Ghibli sounds with the ambience to create a blissful time of relaxation.
In addition to songs from Spirited Away and Whisper of the Heart, carefully selected numbers spanning a wide range—including Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, Castle in the Sky, Porco Rosso, and The Cat Returns—are all deeply satisfying listens that slowly seep into the heart.
Anna (Piano Arrangement)Takatoki Muramatsu
Hiromasa Yonebayashi of Studio Ghibli adapted Joan G.
Robinson’s children’s novel “When Marnie Was There” into an animated film, and the piece “Anna” that plays in the movie also has a piano version.
It is memorably performed by an orchestra in scenes such as when Anna and Setsu are preparing lunch and when Marnie and Anna say their goodbyes, but as a piano solo it feels delicate and heartrending, conveying Anna’s emotions beautifully.
The sheet music has been published as well, so if you play piano, it might be nice to try performing it while recalling the film’s scenes.
Ask me why (A Mother’s Thoughts)Joe Hisaishi
This is the theme song from Studio Ghibli’s feature-length animated film The Boy and the Heron, which can be called the culmination of director Hayao Miyazaki’s work.
It is performed tenderly on a solo piano only three times during important scenes, from the opening to the late stages of the film, with no arrangements or variations for other instruments, making it clear how deeply composer Joe Hisaishi cherishes this piece.
If you listen closely, one note in the chorus melody differs from Ask Me Why (Mahito’s Resolve).
Just as Mahito returns with the stone and retains his memories of the experience, he has indeed changed from before to now.
It feels like a deliberate, meaningful misalignment.
The characters’ emotions are conveyed through live performance, as if opening the door to the heart.
Ashitaka DiaryJoe Hisaishi
This is “The Legend of Ashitaka” from Studio Ghibli’s feature-length animated film Princess Mononoke, a work that stands proudly as a heavy and grand orchestral piece in its own right.
Studio Ghibli began as a feature animation production company with the release of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind on March 11, 1984, and Princess Mononoke is its tenth film.
It is also known for elevating animation from something consumed solely by fans to a form of “art.” The production scale was immense, and from around this time, more recordings featured live orchestral performances.
Listening to the music, it is not merely background accompaniment for animation but sounds like a worthy new classical work in its own right.
The orchestral performance was by the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, and this was also the first time a permanent professional orchestra, rather than an ad hoc ensemble, was employed.
Dragon BoyJoe Hisaishi
From Studio Ghibli’s hugely famous film Spirited Away, this is “The Dragon Boy.” The “dragon” refers to Haku, and the piece is used in the scene where Haku and Chihiro meet and then depart from the bathhouse.
In the film, the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra performs it: a mystical tone born from layered harp and piano leads into flowing horn lines, while the woodwinds stack in perfect fourths to evoke a traditional Japanese atmosphere.
This performance is a longer version than the one in the film, making “The Dragon Boy” even more powerful.